Drakeo the Ruler's son to sue Live Nation and other festival promoters following his death
The family's lawyer says the lack of security at the festival allowed the rapper to be "essentially lynched"
Ahead of his scheduled performance at last month’s Once Upon A Time In LA Music Festival, Drakeo the Ruler sustained a stab wound backstage. The 28-year-old later died of his injuries. Now, the rapper’s 5-year-old son is suing event organizer Live Nation citing a lack of security at the festival through his mother Tianna Purtue.
“His life was taken way too soon,” family attorney James Bryant says, explaining that the rapper had “no security” and the physical barriers were “insufficient.”
“This should never have never happened if those promotors had actually had the proper security protocols. This was a preventable death,” he adds.
Drakeo the Ruler was scheduled to perform at the festival on December 18, however a large fight broke out around 8:30 p.m. and the rapper was fatally wounded. The brawl was recorded on video and shown by the family’s attorneys on Thursday. The remainder of the festival, set to feature performances from Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, YG, and The Game, was cancelled.
While a criminal investigation into who stabbed the rapper is currently ongoing, Bryant says, “those who failed Drakeo the Ruler, they’re going to be held accountable.”
The family lawyer says the lawsuit will be filed next week, and seeks at least $20 million in damages. In addition to Live Nation, the suit will also be filed against fellow organizers C3 Presents and Bobby Dee Presents.
In a statement to Billboard, Live Nation wrote, “Once Upon a Time in LA joins Drakeo’s family, friends, and fans in grieving his loss. The festival is continuing to support local authorities in their investigation as they pursue the facts.”
This is far from the first ongoing lawsuit against Live Nation, as they were also the organizers for the deadly November festival Astroworld, which left ten dead and hundreds injured. The biggest suit, filed on behalf of nearly 300 attendees and seeks $2 billion in damages, also cites poor security presence and protocol. The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating the company’s role in effectively ensuring the safety of attendees at Astroworld.
This is also the company behind the recently viral When We Were Young festival, featuring nearly every headline emo act from the last two decades. However, the logistics of the event seem more and more fallible.
Correction: The earlier version of this article stated that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of his family, but the suit has actually been filed by Drakeo the Ruler’s 5-year-old son, Caiden Caldwell through his mother Tianna Purtue. The rapper’s own mother and brother are not involved in the suit at this time.